United News of Bangladesh

A pedestrian was injured in an explosion while a suspected bomb was being defused beneath the Motijheel Metro Rail Station in the capital on Friday night. The accident occured at around 8.00 pm The injured, Miraj Ahmed, 23, an employee of the Ministry of Education, was taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 8:30 pm. Miraj hails from Beradakuri area of Gopalpur upazila in Tangail and currently lives in Arambagh of Motijheel.

Senior Reporter of Channel One Habibur Rahman has been elected president and Mahmud Rakib of Ekhon TV general secretary of the Shipping Reporters Forum Bangladesh (SRFB). The election was held on Friday following the organisation's biennial general meeting at Sanskriti Bikash Kendra in Paribagh, Dhaka. Of the 13-member executive committee for the 2026-2027 term, 11 members were elected unopposed. The election was conducted by a committee led by Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) President Abu Saleh Akon, with DRU General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel and former DRU General Secretary Mohi Uddin serving as election commissioners. The other office-bearers are: Vice-President Mahbub Saikat (My TV), Joint General Secretary Tarikul Islam Sumon (Bhorer Dak), Treasurer Borhan Uddin (Dhaka Mail), Office Secretary Rashim Molla (Manabzamin) and Publicity and Publication Secretary Faruk Alam (Kalbela). The elected executive members are Shamsul Islam (Naya Diganta), Faisal Ahammed (The Bangladesh Mail), Harlal Ray Sagar (Bhorer Kagoj) and Ashish Kumar Sen (Daily Janata). Earlier, the biennial general meeting was chaired by outgoing acting President Habibur Rahman. Treasurer Shamsul Islam presented the financial report, while General Secretary Afrin Jahan presented the organisational report, both of which were approved by the members with applause.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, on Friday expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of three members of a Bangladeshi in a road accident in Saudi Arabia. In a condolence message, she mourned the deaths of Tania Tahmina Rina, her son Tasbik and daughter Zara, all from Faridpur, and prayed for the eternal peace of their departed souls. According to the statement, the accident occurred on July 23 while the family was travelling from Riyadh to the holy city of Makkah to perform Umrah. Hospitals can deliver better services even with limited budgets if corruption is curbed: Shama Obaed The victims were Tania Tahmina Rina, 45, daughter of former Atghar Union Parishad Chairman Nazim Uddin Molla of Saltha upazila in Faridpur, her 20-year-old son Tasbik and 15-year-old daughter Zara. Rina's husband, Shafiqul Islam, and their elder son, Nabil, were injured in the accident. The state minister wished them a speedy recovery.

Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir on Friday sought Thailand's continued support for Bangladesh's aspiration to become an ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner. He held a bilateral meeting with Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand Vijavat Isarabhakdi during a stopover in Bangkok following his visit to Manila, Philippines, and discussed the issue. The Thai Vice Minister reaffirmed Thailand's readiness to remain constructively engaged on the issue, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On behalf of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the Foreign Affairs Adviser extended an invitation to the Prime Minister of Thailand to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.

Speaker of Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Friday assumed the responsibilities of the acting President in accordance with the Constitution following the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. President Shahabuddin submitted his resignation letter to the Speaker under Article 50(3) of the Constitution. Following the resignation, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed assumed the responsibilities of the acting President under Article 54 of the Constitution, according to a press release issued by the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat. Shahabuddin resigns as President citing ill health On the occasion, Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Attorney General Ruhul Quddus Kazal and Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat Secretary Barrister Md. Golam Sorwar Bhuiyan greeted him with floral greetings.    After taking over the presidential responsibilities, the Deputy Speaker, Chief Whip, Attorney General and the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat Secretary wished the acting President success and good health, the release said.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-6 arrested two criminals and recovered a foreign-made pistol, ammunition and a magazine during a raid in Khulna's Labanchara area on Friday. The arrests were made around 11:50 am from Islampara under Labanchara Police Station, according to a RAB press release. The arrestees were identified as Nazim alias Nadim, 30, son of Shahjahan of Amtala area under Labanchara Police Station, and his associate Md Masud Rana, 37, son of  Abdur Rahman Miaji of Islampara. RAB said Nadim was arrested first. Based on his information, a search was conducted at his residence, where the elite force recovered a foreign-made pistol, four rounds of live ammunition, one spent bullet casing and a magazine from a location he identified. According to the press release, Nadim is a listed criminal in the area and has multiple cases filed against him at the local police station. RAB said he had been under surveillance for a long time before the operation. Legal action against the two is underway at the concerned police station.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Friday reaffirmed that Bangladesh would work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and all parties to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) to address emerging threats. He said global resilience against pandemics, climate shocks, cyber incidents and supply chain disruptions could be strengthened through practical, coordinated initiatives such as joint early warning systems, shared risk assessments, and regional crisis response mechanisms. Dr Khalilur made the observations during the commemorative ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the TAC in Manila. The TAC is an agreement signed five decades ago to establish norms ensuring mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and non-interference across the ASEAN region, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A curious case of beef turning green while being cooked in Paikgacha municipality of Khulna has set off a wave of speculation across the country, with a food safety expert cautioning against both panic and complacency until proper tests are done. The episode unfolded last Wednesday afternoon when a group of employees at Modern Bakery in Paikgacha were cooking beef bought for a picnic. Midway through cooking, they noticed the meat had inexplicably turned green. Startled and unnerved, they carried the pot straight to the local police station. Days later, no one has been able to say for certain what caused the change and in the absence of answers, theories have run wild on social media, from spoiled meat to chemical contamination at the bakery. Speaking to UNB on Friday, Dr. Mst. Minara Khatun, professor at the Department of Microbiology and Hygiene at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and a specialist in food safety and public health, said the explanation was not as simple as it might seem. "The claim that the meat was a day old is not, by itself, a sufficient explanation for it turning green," she said. "People should neither panic over a photo circulating online nor brush off such an unusual change. In matters of food safety, scientific evidence must take precedence. If meat shows an unnatural green colour, foul smell, sliminess or any other abnormality, it should not be eaten, the sample should be sent for laboratory testing." Dr. Khatun said that meat stored for a single day after slaughter, at the correct temperature of 0-4 degrees Celsius, would not normally develop a green tinge. It might darken slightly or turn brownish, she said, but that is different from a distinct green colour, which is not a typical sign of ageing meat. Many have pointed to the red-coloured broth as evidence the meat could not have been unsafe. Dr. Khatun called this an interesting but misleading observation. I f the greenish discolouration is limited to certain parts of the meat, she explained, the broth can still take on its usual red or reddish hue since its colour comes largely from blood pigments, spices, and chemical reactions during cooking, not uniformly from the meat tissue itself. "A red broth does not scientifically confirm that the meat was safe," she said. The butcher who sold the meat has claimed that other customers who bought from the same animal faced no problems. Some online have instead pointed fingers at chemicals allegedly used at the bakery. She said neither claim stands on solid ground. Different cuts from the same animal can be exposed to different storage conditions, temperatures, humidity, and levels of contamination meaning one portion could turn while another does not. "Other people not falling sick is not scientific proof that the meat was safe," she said. Equally, she added, there is no specific evidence to support the chemical-exposure theory either, since most chemicals commonly used in food settings do not turn meat green upon heating.According to Dr. Khatun, similar instances of meat turning green have been recorded in various countries before, and science offers several possible explanations. Chemical changes in myoglobin, the pigment that gives meat its red colour, can be one cause, as can storage at improper temperatures. Certain hydrogen sulphide-producing bacteria can lead to the formation of sulfmyoglobin, which imparts a greenish tint. Contact with copper or other metallic compounds may also cause similar discolouration in rare cases, though this is uncommon in typical retail settings. Growth of pigment-producing bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas species, linked to lapses in post-slaughter handling and transport, is another possible culprit. In some instances, she noted, the effect can even come down to how light reflects off the structure of the muscle fibres, producing a green, blue, or rainbow-like sheen with no spoilage involved at all.Dr. Khatun called for an unbroken cold chain maintained safely from slaughter all the way to the consumer's kitchen. She stressed the need for hygienic slaughtering and processing practices, clean environments, safe water, and trained workers throughout the supply chain. Refrigerator and freezer temperatures should be checked regularly, she said, and consumers should stay alert to any unusual change in the meat they buy. She also recommended keeping records of where meat comes from, when the animal was slaughtered, and how it has been stored along the way.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested two smugglers and seized 60 bottles of Indian liquor in separate anti-smuggling drives along the Sherpur border on Friday. The arrestees were identified as Jewel Rana, 25, son of Abu Salam, and Samiul, 18, son of Abdus Samad. Both are residents of Nowkuchi village in Jhenaigati upazila. The information was confirmed in a press release issued by Mymensingh Battalion (39 BGB). According to the release, a BGB patrol team conducted a special drive in the Nowkuchi border area of Jhenaigati early Friday and arrested the two with 12 bottles of Indian liquor. A case has been filed against them under the Narcotics Control Act with Jhenaigati Police Station. In another anti-smuggling operation on the same day, BGB members recovered 48 bottles of Indian liquor abandoned in the Kuchpara border area of Nalitabari upazila. In total, 60 bottles of Indian liquor, with an estimated market value of around Tk 90,000, were seized in the two drives, the press release said. Lt Col Md Nurul Azim Bayezid, commanding officer of Mymensingh Battalion (39 BGB), said the border force is conducting regular drives under its "zero tolerance" policy against drug trafficking and smuggling.

A schoolboy and a microbus driver were killed in two separate road accidents in Kishoreganj on Friday, while six others were injured. According to police and locals, a student of Janata School, identified as Tuhin, 10, was killed after being hit by a cement-laden truck on Janata School Road in Gaital area of Kishoreganj town around 11 am. Sexagenarian man found dead in Gazipur fish farm Locals rescued the critically injured boy and rushed him to a hospital, where he died before receiving treatment. His father is a member of the Bangladesh Police, according to local sources. In another accident around the same time, microbus driver AK Mostafizur Rahman was killed in a head-on collision between a bus and a microbus on the Dhaka-Kishoreganj highway near Moulvibari in Chilakanda area of Pakundia upazila. Mostafizur was a resident of the Kafrul area in Mirpur, Dhaka. Police said an Ananya Classic bus travelling from Kishoreganj collided head-on with a microbus that was heading from Dhaka to Nikli Haor. Following the crash, both vehicles plunged into a roadside ditch. The microbus driver died on the spot, while six other people were injured in the accident. Officer-in-Charge of Pakundia Police Station SM Arifur Rahman said legal proceedings are underway.